Extraction of the Polyurethane Layer in Textile Composites for Textronics Applications Using Optical Coherence...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Optical Metrology

Background:

• Cordura textile composites feature polyurethane (PU) coatings crucial for mechanical properties like stiffness and bending rigidity.
• Accurate measurement of PU layer thickness is vital for material characterization and performance prediction.
• Existing microscopic methods are invasive, requiring sample cross-sections and potentially damaging the material.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, non-invasive method for extracting and measuring the polyurethane layer thickness in Cordura textile composites.
• To validate the accuracy of the proposed method against established microscopic techniques.
• To demonstrate the utility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for textile coating analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to capture 3D images of Cordura textile composites.
• Employed image processing techniques including edge enhancement filtering, thresholding, and spline smoothing to detect PU layer boundaries.
• Generated thickness maps from OCT data to quantify the polyurethane layer dimensions.

Main Results:

• The OCT-based method successfully extracted and measured polyurethane layer thicknesses from composite fabrics.
• Thickness measurements showed a strong positive correlation (Pearson's r = 0.9844) with results from traditional microscopic analysis.
• The developed method proved accurate and reliable for characterizing PU coatings on various Cordura types.

Conclusions:

• Optical Coherence Tomography offers a precise and non-invasive alternative for measuring polyurethane layer thickness in Cordura textiles.
• The high correlation with microscopic measurements validates the OCT method's reliability for material science applications.
• This technique provides a valuable tool for quality control and material development in the textile industry.